COSLI November Newsletter
The COSLI newsletter is written and edited by students on the COSLI Student Advisory Board.
Enjoy student updates, perspectives, events, and opportunities.
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Letter from the Student Advisory Board President
Dear Friends of COSLI,
What is the legacy of impact you hope to leave on this world? Who are you? What circumstances have shaped you to become the person you are today? These are the scholarship questions that I have been trying to find an answer to the past few weeks. As I sat reflecting on who I was and what ultimately fueled me to the position I am currently in, I was puzzled on how I could define my entire past and future aspirations into 5,600 characters or less. A flood of memories filled my mind on the obsession I had with the universe when in elementary school. Unavailing facts on the gravitational forces of Jupiter and speed of light sparked my passion to become the greatest physicist of all time, with goals to explore humanity's most complex equations. I became infatuated with my destiny and not the actual process of reaching it, something that I quickly learned as my matured past third grade thoughts.
Writing my responses to these prompts was one of the most difficult things to wrap my mind around. My aspirations had transformed far beyond becoming the greatest physicist of all time, to simply leaving a path of opportunity for others to follow after my time on this earth has concluded, a simple yet long lasting footprint of impact. The most valuable thing I gained from my time writing and reflecting on these prompts was just how short lived our time is. Every second of every day can only be used once and never again.
I challenge you all to take the time and think about these very questions. Who are you? What is the legacy you hope to leave behind and how will you accomplish this?
Thank you and all the best,
Mohamed Ibrahim
COSLI Class of 2019
Wiggins High School
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Letter from the Founding Executive Director
Friends of COSLI is proud to be a Project of the Rose Community Foundation
November is always a time that pushes us to think more deeply and more clearly about gratitude and the deep, nuanced, and raucous history of our amazing country, with all of the interpretations and narratives. This year's Student Advisory Board retreat was a kick-off to this season for COSLI. I find myself filled with gratitude and pride, for the students who are headed into positions of leadership for our state and our country.
Look at the lessons learned portion of this newsletter to see their fun photos and hear some of the provocative things they were saying and thinking. One of the things that stands out to me the most was one of the student's after-retreat revelation that was shared with me earlier this week. They realized that when Kayla and I instruct our students to be open-minded to everything they will see and hear during the course of the summer, what we are saying goes far beyond what one usually thinks when hearing that. The student now hears that we are saying listen, deeply, to hear what might be learned from every point of view. There is a difference between listening deeply and intentionally and listening in defense. The student was frustrated that their peers and, for that matter, every single person in our sphere, seems to be doing the latter.
In this season of gratitude, introspection and thinking deeply, I'm taking my student's challenge to change the way I approach what comes my way--to listen for lessons to be learned. We are grateful to all of you who take the time to read what our students are saying and who support the great work that COSLI does for our state. If you know of a high school student in your community who would be an appropriate COSLI student, please nominate them. We would love to meet them.
Celeste
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Lessons Learned: Student Board Retreat Reflection
This year's Student Advisory Board retreat was filled with conversations that were in direct response to what they heard this summer--and what they have continued to see and hear on the nightly news. Enjoy the photos--there was a lot of fun too!
Here is some of what they were saying:
"People... who may present information in a polarizing way are people who we need to know how to react and interact with. I think that we won't get an intro into most of our daily interactions with polarizing people...so perhaps we could benefit from not having one at COSLI."
 
"For me, COSLI was an eye-opening experience to both realizing how politically selective the environment I live in locally is, and realizing how valuable it is to retain an open-minded perspective despite these biases. We will encounter the kind of people that say extremely polarizing things on a daily/weekly basis, it is up to us on how we interpret and respond to those people. We have been blessed with the opportunity to see multiple sides of an issue; many people don't even have that chance. I think COSLI is helping us help those people, to both listen to them and respond in a thoughtful and kind way."
 
"...there will ALWAYS be people who will provoke you and push you way outside of your comfort zone. These people will not care that they are provoking you and some will even get slight enjoyment from it. Now, in college and in the real world, you can either shut down and provide nothing to a discussion, either by just not saying anything or by becoming overly defensive of your opinion, or you can listen to what the other person has to say, and calmly provide a rebuttal or comment on that statement. By taking that latter approach you will be able to discern a lot more quickly whether this person wants to have an honest conversation with you, or just wants to provoke you for fun..."
  
"I think at the end of the day, future students get to decide how much they want to take away from a conversation regardless if there is a bias involved. If students are so willing to go into a conversation with a wall put up when they get an introduction, even if it's a slight one, then I think they should really be asking themselves why they applied to COSLI in the first place. It's a program to stretch us as leaders (and citizens)."
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Student Features
by Ava Warren
Taliyah Claiborne (2020, Denver) was nominated for the National Youth Leadership Forum: Business Innovation at Yale.
Chelsea Hernandez (2014, Aurora) Is the new morning producer for Seattle’s KING 5 News, a top fifteen news market. Way to work Chelsea!
Grace Shulte (2020, Gunnison) was handpicked to be the student representative for the Gunnison Historic Preservation Society.
Winta Gonye (2018 Student, 2021 RA, Denver) became a United States Citizen. Winta immigrated from Tigray, Ethiopia. She’ll be voting for the first time this month!
Ava Warren (2020, Highlands Ranch) participated in the Academic Lettering and Advanced Placement Scholar Recognition Ceremony for her high school.
Moriah Dominguez (2020, Denver) was admitted to Loyola University Chicago, earning their presidential merit scholarship. Woohoo!
We are so proud of our COSLI alumni! Contact Ava Warren (warrenav@s.dcsdk12.org) with college acceptances as they start rolling in and any other cool projects or successes!
Colorado History
What else happened in October?
by Riley Cooper
November 7th, 1893: Colorado becomes the second US state to grant women suffrage.
November 3rd, 1960: The Meredith Wilson musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown opens at the Winter Gate Theater.
November 15th, 1972: Denver withdraws its offer to host the 1976 Winter Olympics, becoming the first and only city to reject an awarded Olympic Games.
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COSLI Newsletter Contributors
Tobin Wheeler, Editor (Salida, CO)
Riley Cooper (Broomfield, CO)
Kaya Crawford (Crawford, CO)
Mo Dominguez (Denver, CO)
Mohamed Ibrahim (Wiggins, CO)
Bryce Li (Broomfield, CO)
Skyla Rogers (Westminster, CO)
Allison Thomas (Wiggins, CO)
Ava Warren (Highlands Ranch, CO)
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COSLI 2022 APPLICATION NOW OPEN!
The 2022 COSLI application is now open!
Apply here!
Application open: October 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022
Admissions Decisions: Early March 2022
2022 Program: July 10-August 6, 2022 |
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Alumni Feature: Dulce Gonzalez-Beltran
By Kaya Crawford & Allison Thomas
Dulce Gonzalez-beltran was a member of the COSLI class of 2016. She was initially attracted to COSLI because of the unique education it would provide her; it is such an interactive program that allows students to become better leaders alongside new friends. COSLI provided Dulce with many new friends, with whom she now attends school. It also provided her with a deeper understanding of topics not often discussed in the classroom, such as the world’s religions. Dulce fondly recalls eating foods from and learning about the many different world religions during her COSLI experience. Her best memory from her time at COSLI was when the group went camping. It showed her a new side of Buena Vista, and she had a great hike with her peers. As for future COSLI members, Dulce’s advice is to learn to fail early and fail forward. Also, it is important to remember no one has a perfect way of doing things, and there will be times when you feel discouraged. There will be times you are wrong, and that is okay, because you are learning and improving. Dulce feels privileged to have been a part of COSLI and reflects that, when she attended, she never realized how large of an impact she would have on the program.
Currently, Dulce is a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering. Her experience in college has given Dulce the opportunity to do internal undergraduate research with Professor Milford to find ways to improve the academic environment for underrepresented students. She has worked with Aspero Medical’s lead engineer to push products into the next stages of production through testing, computer-aided designing, and other tasks. Her college experience has also allowed her to meet other incredible people who moved from undergraduate study to working with cutting edge technology. Dulce advises that everyone, especially underrepresented students, study abroad in some form during their college experience. She and her brother had the opportunity to work on a farm in Ecuador through a program called Regeneration Field Institute, whose mission is to help rebuild homes and help locals who suffered in the aftermath of the 2016 earthquake. Dulce explains that programs like this can be found on campus, and students just have to do some digging to find them. She enjoyed her time abroad because it opened her eyes and mind to how she can help people, and she could do this while in a different country and setting. In the future, Dulce hopes to begin her career as an engineer and work to benefit those in need of medical assistance by designing medical devices.
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Opportunities & Events November 2021
By Mo Dominguez
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Denver Failure Fair Scholarships are opportunities for high school seniors planning to attend four year undergraduate schooling who submit a risk-taking, innovative project. Applicants are asked to present a drawing, painting, sculpture, dance, theatrical production, or musical composition with a 500-word essay description of their fantastical idea. Proposals are received from February 17th through March 20th. Finalists will receive $500 to $10,000 scholarships. More information here.
The Daniels Scholarship Program applications are now open! The deadline is Sunday, November 15, 2021 at 4:00 P.M. MST. Find the eligibility requirements and more information on how to apply here. COSLI has been honored to have had a Daniels Scholar chosen from each of its classes. Here’s to many more!
The 350 Colorado Youth Action Committee is a committee for the 350 Colorado climate organization dedicated to promoting youth activism and interest in climate action. The committee is run by youth for youth. The youth action committee is for any youth living in or outside of Colorado who has interest in having a say in the future of climate action or wants to be involved in climate action and climate strikes. More information on the Youth Action Committee and 350 Colorado here. Join the committee here.
Student Sponsors for the Civics Secures Democracy Act: The Civics Secures Democracy Act is a bill introduced to congress to increase students’ education in civics and history. The YMCA is asking for student sponsors around the country to support the act and try to get the bill passed. Information on the bill here, and sponsorship nomination form here.
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COSLI Reads
Need book recommendations? Here’s a list of what the COSLI alumni are reading — take a look, you might find one you like!
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (fiction)
One Time by Sharon Creech (fiction)
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History by Ibram X. Kendi (non-fiction/history)
Finna by Nate Marshall (poetry)
Holy Envy, Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor (non-fiction)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass (fiction)
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (fiction)
Becoming by Michelle Obama (memoir)
Need podcast and music recommendations? Our COSLI alumni have lots of music and podcast recommendations that they enjoy. See what your COSLI alumni have been listening to!
Don’t Get It Twisted - podcast
Science Friday - podcast
Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe - podcast
Teenager Therapy - podcast
Evermore - album by Taylor Swift
Fine Line - album by Harry Styles
MONTERO - album by Lil Nas X
Esperanza Spalding - artist
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COSLI Birthdays!
by Riley Cooper
Happy Birthday to our COSLI Alumni! May your day be full of smiles!
Love, your COSLI Family.
Heaven Chacon - 11/3
Angela Li - 11/3
Lamar Philmon - 11/6
Malaysia Pullman - 11/6
Cherelle Jones - 11/7
Nivedita Prabhu - 11/7
Shiela Ta - 11/8
Joyceline Tweneboa - 11/9
Michelle Chen - 11/10
Sylvia Cuellar - 11/10
Shuya Edmans - 11/10
Anysa Vilchis-Ruiz - 11/10
Iris Hammond - 11/12
Lorenz Wilkins - 11/13
Chaltu Hamma - 11/15
Jasnoor Kaur - 11/15
Anthony Swenk - 11/15
Dorcas Mwika - 11/16
Alma Wolf - 11/16
Sebastian Rodriguez - 11/18
Lidya Tewolde - 11/18
Yatziri Gonzales - 11/21
Jaime Kent - 11/21
Rohini Tangri - 11/21
Sabrina Tran - 11/21
Luz Garcia - 11/23
Marina Green - 11/23
Eh K Blue Lah - 11/25
Daniel Ngo - 11/25
Ewan Wummel - 11/25
Laith Ibrahim - 11/28
Emma Logan - 11/28
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